The Stranger
by BellaPerri
Summary: A one-night stand between two total strangers has an unexpected consequence. When Bella and Edward reunite almost five years later, will they fix the mistakes of the past and fall in love? Rated M for eventual lemons BxE Canon-couples AH
1. Chapter 1

**So I've been trying to find the balls to write a fic for a long time. This is the first thing I've ever written for fun that I'm sharing with people, so be gentle. And please, please, please review. It would mean the world to me to know what you think. If people seem to like this story I have most of the next two chapters written, so I'll post them in the next week or so. Well, here it is.**

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The sun was shining brightly into my room, a rarity in Seattle. I tried to roll over and go back to sleep, but there was a heavy weight on my chest. Damn cat. I was about to shove it off of me when I noticed it wasn't Tigger. I sighed and then shoved her off anyway.

She rolled off of me and turned to face me. She gave me a disapproving stare. "Mommy, why you wake me up? It so early," she grumbled.

"That's your own fault for sneaking into my room in the middle of the night," I replied. I might have woken her up to hang out with me, although I'd never admit it. "Anyway, why did you come in? Were you scared?" I asked a little more sympathetically.

She shrugged. "I just missed you."

My heart was about to explode. Angelique said the sweetest things. "I missed you too," I reassured her.

Ever since we moved out of my dad's a couple months ago, she had her own room, and she was still having a hard time adjusting. I sighed. "Baby, I'm just down the hall, so don't be scared."

"I'ms not scared! I told you, I just missed you!" she cried indignantly.

"So you were just lonely?" I asked. She nodded hard. "Well, how about I let Tigger sleep in your room?" I regretted the offer immediately. What if the fat ass cat sat on her face when she was sleeping? Shit, I guess I won't be sleeping tonight. She gasped, "REALLY? Tank you Momma!"

Crap! She'd been asking since we moved in to let Tigger sleep with her, but I told her no out of fear. All it took was for her to say something sweet in a sad little voice and I was putty in her hands.

"I guess." I can't back out now. That would break her little heart. "But if she claws you or bites you in you sleep she can't stay in there anymore," I compromised.

"Otay!" she screamed excitedly and clapped her hands. She was so much like Alice sometimes that it was creepy.

We walked into the kitchen to eat breakfast. I looked in the fridge. Nothing looked good. I looked in the cupboards. Nutella sandwiches? Nah. A quick look in the pantry was equally disappointing. Guess I needed to go grocery shopping.

"How good do you think you've been this week?" I asked her.

She looked hopeful. Conversations that started like that usually meant she was getting something. "Super-duper good!" she said, bouncing up and down. "Except when I tried to ride da cat. And when I wouldn't eat my brocki. And when I-"

"Okay, okay, okay!" I held my hands up, laughing. "Well thanks for being honest... Do you wanna go to Denny's and get pancakes or waffles?"

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" she shouted as she hopped up and sprinted to the stairs. At least she didn't get her balance from me. If I tried to move that fast, my ass would be on the floor in less than a second. I jogged up the stairs and went to my room to change. When I was done, I walked over to Lique's room to see if she needed help. When I looked into her room, I had to struggle not to laugh.

She was sitting in the middle of the floor, wearing a bikini top and leggings, struggling with a tutu. She turned and looked at me with her big green doe eyes. "Momma, will you help me? I'ms stuck."

I started laughing my ass off. I tried to stop my laughter when I saw the offended look on my daughter's face. Struggling to keep a straight face, I said, "You can't wear that to breakfast, sweetie." You can't wear that anywhere. "Here, let me help you choose an outfit."

She jutted her chin out stubbornly. "Dis is da one I chosed," she told me firmly. "I want to wear it."

I tapped my chin thoughtfully. "I guess we can't go to Wal-Mart then."

The magic W-word. Her eyes went wide. "Wal-Mart?"

"Yeah, but they won't let you in the store dressed like that..." I trailed off. " Maybe I can drop you off with Alice."

"Dress me," she commanded, lifting her arms above her head.

"Sure, sure," I said in a patronizing tone.

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I plopped my baby into the cart. Time for another exciting adventure at Wal-Mart. I for one hated Wal-Mart. Lique, on the other hand, loved it. It was cheap and all, but it gave Lique the excuse to bug the shit out of me for some unnecessary toy or junk food. And she usually got what she wanted, so I would probably walk out of there with a bunch of useless shit and an alarmingly lighter wallet.

We walked up and down the aisles, picking up stuff on my list. But mostly stuff that wasn't. She somehow convinced me to get chocolate chip waffles, Cheetos, doughnuts, and some cookie cereal. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love all that stuff. But I don't like what it does to your waistline.

"Angelique Alice! Put that back on the shelf right now!" I scolded her. I can't buy Oreos! They're my Kryptonite! Half of them wouldn't even make it to the car. My fat ass would devour them, and I worked damn hard to get the baby weight off. I wasn't about to let the temptation of the best cookies ever fuck all that hard work up.

She pouted at me with her cute little lips and gave me her big green puppy dog eyes. Shit. "Please, momma. I'll put my chockit chip wapples back."

I stifled a laugh. What a little negotiator. I looked at the Oreos in her hand and pursed my lips thoughtfully. I was torn. My love for Oreos was pretty intense. Maybe I could just eat one a day? No, two. No, three. Maybe just a row. Fuck, I was screwed.

"Hmm, I'll need five kisses for 'em," I told her. "And you can keep your waffles." She couldn't put those back. I loved chocolate chip waffles, too. Double fuck.

Her eyes widened and she gave me an ear-splitting grin. "I'll give you five gazillion kisses! Yous really going to let me have dem both?"

She shouldn't be surpised. When did I ever say no? I knew I probably be stricter and not give into her every whim, but I loved her so much. She's my life. I'd do pretty much anything to make her smile. Unless she's being a shit. Then she can cry and sit in timeout on the stairs.

"Only cause you're so cute." I poked her in the tummy. She giggled. "And you're turning four in a couple days! When did you get so big?" I asked her suspiciously.

She pursed her lips as she thought hard about my question. Then she shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe yesterday?"

I laughed. She's growing up way too fast. "Sure, baby girl. I think you grew this much while you were sleeping." I spread my arms wide.

She laughed. "Mommy you is silly! I'ms not even dat big!"

I tilted my head and raised my eyebrows. "Are you sure? Cause I think you're really big."

Liquey nodded very seriously. "I is for sure," she promised.

I fake-sighed. "I guess you're not that big, but you did grow last night."

Her eyes widened. "Where?" she asked wonderingly as she inspected herself.

I leaned towards her. "Right... here!" I exclaimed as I started tickling her tummy.

She screeched and started giggling. "Momma! Mommy! Mommy, stop it! Momma, please stop."

I stopped because I didn't want her to pee herself. I smiled at her and said, "Only because you asked nicely."

She beamed at me. "Thanks mommy. I love you."

I loved it when she told me that she loved out of the blue. It was what I lived for. I loved her so much. "I love you, too, Liquey."

Just then, as we were rounding the corner, we crashed into another cart, jerking Angelique forward. I made sure she was alright before looking up to apologize, but I stopped in my tracks.

No fucking way.

It can't be him. I'd searched for him for years, and now I run into him out of the blue at the neighborhood Wal-Mart?

God has a fucked-up sense of humor.

He was gaping at me and his mouth popped open in surprise. Then he smiled a very crooked grin at me. He opened his mouth to speak-

"Momma, why are we just sitting here?" Angelique decided to make her presence known. I started to panic. Shitshitshitshit.

He looked at the back of her head for a second before frowning a little and narrowing his eyes. He was about to say something yet again, but Angelique decided right then to turn around and see what I was looking at. He glanced at her and looked right back at me. And then he glanced back. His mouth popped open and he gasped.

I knew what he was seeing.

His eyes, copied onto her perfect face.

The texture and color of her long hair. Her curly bronze locks. _His_ curly bronze locks.

He opened and closed his mouth a couple times, trying to speak-so was I- but, once again, Angelique beat us to the punch.

"Wow, you have green eyes just like me!" she exclaimed. "Look at dem, Momma, dey is so pretty!"

"Um, I guess they are." I was on the verge of a panic attack. Trying my hardest not to hyperventilate.

What if he wants to know her?

What if he _doesn't_ want to know her?

What if he tries to take her?

I lost my battle right there and then. I couldn't get enough air.

_Ohmygodohmygodohmygod_.

She's my baby. She's my life, my reason for existing. My eyes fill with tears. What if he does take her? I wouldn't be able to function. I tried to rationalize. He can't take her, right? He wouldn't take her from the ones she loved and her home, right? And even if he wanted to, there was no way the court would do that to her.

_Right?_

But what if?

_Shitshitshitshitshit_.

"Momma, what's wrong?" she asked, her own eyes filling with tears. "Are you okay?" She looked at him and crossed her little arms. "What did you do to my Momma?" she huffed angrily.

It was actually kind of cute. I would laugh if the situation wasn't so fucked up.

"He didn't do anything," I said, almost soundlessly. The only thing he ever did was not cover his junk, and that was the best thing anyone had ever not done in the history of the world.

She put her hand on my cheek. "Why you so sad den, Momma?"

"Um, I don't know, Liquey-pie." That was kind of the truth. I was afraid of the unknown variables of the situation. I didn't want to lie to my baby, but I couldn't exactly tell her the whole truth.

His eyes snapped to me. I couldn't discern the expression in them. "Liquey-pie?" he whispered.

I nodded. "Angelique Alice Swan." As an afterthought I said, "After my two best friends."

He gulped painfully and nodded. "And, um, your name?"

"Isabella Swan," I whispered.

"Mommy's friends call her Bella," Angelique clarified helpfully. "What's your name?"

I looked at him expectantly. "Um... My name is, uh, Edward. Edward Cullen"

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the name 'Edward' would be his, yet it fit him perfectly. It was so old-fashioned, so unusual, so him. And Cullen... Shit, why does that sound so familiar?

Lique interrupted my train of thought. "So Ederd, do you know my Momma?" she asked.

He looked at me helplessly. "I've seen her before." He continued staring at me before he said, "Uh, can we talk over coffee or something?"

I sighed. I didn't want to, but I owed it to my little girl. She deserved the chance to know her father. Just please, don't let him take my baby. "I guess. Tomorrow? Starbucks at 8:00?"

"That, uh, that works for me," he agreed. "The one on 5th Avenue?"

"Yes," I breathed. "See you tomorrow, I guess."

"Um, yeah, I guess." He sounded hesitant. I started to turn, but he said, "Wait, can I have your number?"

I exhaled. "I guess. Give me your phone."

He handed it to me wordlessly, and I called my number.

"There, now I have yours, too," I explained. "See ya."

He just stood there, frozen.

I turned my cart around and almost ran with Angelique to the check-out lane, hurling all my groceries onto the counter. I was missing half of the items on my list, but they're not important right now. I need to get the hell out of here.

Immediately.

Angelique was asking me questions, but I couldn't concentrate long enough to answer her right now. I was barely keeping it together as it was. I pretty much sprinted out of there to my car.

I didn't want to waste time opening the trunk, so I shoved all my groceries to the back seat. I quickly but gently lifted my daughter out of the cart and buckled her up. Then I shoved my cart into the return two parking spaces over and sprinted over to the driver's side of my car.

As I opened the door, I heard a panic-stricken velvet voice. "Bella! Bella, wait!"

I slammed the door. Not right now. Not right now. I fumbled with the keys and quickly shoved the car into reverse and peeled out of the parking lot.

"MOMMA! WHAT IS GOING ON?" Angelique screamed before bursting into tears.

I started crying, too, so I pulled over. "I'm so sorry, baby. I can't tell you right now," I sniffled. "I'll tell you soon, okay?"

She whimpered. "Mommy, you're scaring me. Call Aunty Alice or Aunty Angie.

"That's a great idea, baby. You're so smart," I sniffled.

"Well, do it den!" she commanded.

I giggled through my tears. "Yes, sir!"

"Momma! I'ms a girl!" she said indignantly. "I'ms a mam not a sir."

I about busted a nut. I probably looked crazy, laughing my ass off and bawling my eyes out at the same time. "Sorry, boss."

I pulled out my phone and dialed Allie's number. "Allie, I need your help," I whimpered.

"Oh my God, are you okay? Is Angelique? What's going on?" She sounded panicked.

"We... Shopping... Edward... Oreos... Cart... Crashed... I- I can't lose her, Alice!" I blubbered.

"Oh my God. A crash? Holy fuck, Bella, are you okay? And Lique... _You can't lose her_? IS SHE INJURED?" she cried.

"No... Nothing like that... I need you and Ang right now."

"Okay, we'll be there ASAP," she told me. "Call Bree and see if she can watch Liquey. Tell her it's an emergency."

I sniffed. "It is. "

"Where are you anyway?"

"I'm on the side of the road in front of the Wal-Mart entrance."

"Shit, I'll pick you up. And I'll call Bree. Text me her number," she instructed.

"O-okay. See you in a sec."

"Hang in there, sweetie."

"Kay," I whispered. She hung up.

"Mommy?" My baby was still crying. "Will you unbucka me?"

"Okay, sweetie." I reached around my seat and unbuckled her. She immediately stretched her arms out toward me. I turned back around and wrapped her tightly in my arms. We cried into each other's shoulders.

"Momma, are you alright?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, I'm just worried," I told her.

"Worried about what?"

I thought for a minute. I wanted to tell her what was going on, but she was so little. I didn't want to scare her. I settled on saying, "I love you Liquey-pie. So, so, so much."

"I love you, too, Momma."

At that moment, there was a knock at the window. I threw the door open for Alice and didn't let go of my baby.

"Allie, I need help. Did you get a hold of Bree?" I said without looking up.

"Who's Alice?"

I gasped and turned toward the door. It wasn't Alice.

It was a shocked and worried Edward.

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**Well, what do you think? I'll be getting into the background next chapter if you're wondering what's going on. Thanks for reading, and please review**!


	2. Chapter 2

**Two chapters in two days? You guys are so lucky I love you. And that I'm on vacation, so I have tons of time for writing:) Anyway, I'm still searching for a beta, so all mistakes are my own.**

**And Twilight belongs to SMeyer, of course!**

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5 years earlier:

I scowled at my hair. Damn it, I never should have gotten it cut so short. I regretted it the minute the first strand was cut. My formerly long wavy locks now resembled a jew-fro. The haircut, combined with the humid California air, made my hair look like a rat's nest. My hair used to be my best feature, and now it's... not.

Shit, I didn't even want to go outside let alone go to a club, but Alice would have my ass on a platter if I didn't go. She's always telling me I need to get out more, and she didn't care that I didn't _want_ to go out more, especially now that we're on vacation in one of the best night scenes in the U.S.

"Bella!" Speak of the devil. "Open the goddamn door! I have a bunch of shit to make you look fabulous!" That sounded ominous.

I sighed and went to open the door. There she was, in all her barely-five-feet-tall glory. She stood in front of my hotel room with a large duffel bag and a determined look on her face before she barreled in. "Allie, it will take nothing short of a miracle to make my hair look semi-decent." I grabbed a chunk. "Look! It's like a freaking afro!"

She smirked at me. "Bitch, I am the miracle. Besides, my hair's shorter than yours, and I look fucking fabulous."

I laughed. "You always do." And she did. Her inky black hair was spiked, framing her face. It contrasted with her pale coloring and ice-blue eyes. She always looked like a runway model, albeit a very short one. "And I don't know if you can handle all of...this," I said, gesturing to my jew-fro. But, having been best friends for 15 years, I had long since stopped doubting Alice. She was a force of nature. Especially when it came to fashion or beauty. She could make a gargoyle look like a runway model, so I knew she could handle me and the fuckery that was my hair.

Even though I hated makeovers, I secretly kind of liked it when Alice gave me one. It was a good time to gossip and hang out. Ever since she moved out to be with her man, I missed our girly conversations more and more. Plus, she knew exactly what to do to make me beautiful but not fake. I hated looking like a totally different person when I went out; it felt wrong to look like a supermodel at night but wake up a mousy librarian with a jewfro. Anyone could make themselves stunning with makeup and the knowledge of how to use it, but I preferred to still look like me. Just a slightly sexier version.

In typical Alice fashion, she had me ready to go in under an hour, and she had dressed and beautified herself, too. I had to admit I looked damn good, considering the fact that my hair was a hot mess not 45 minutes before.

"Damn, Allie! I look great! You are a miracle!" Really, she could make a living off doing people's hair and shit. Too bad we were going to be kickass teachers one day. But seriously, I looked like a fucking brunette Marilyn Monroe with the huge curls surrounding my face. My makeup was natural looking with eyeshadows in brown and pink tones to make my brown eyes pop, finished with a pinkish lipstick that made my lips look 'edible,' according to Alice.

She rolled her eyes. "Was there ever a doubt?" she snorted. "But seriously, babe, this is for my benefit too. You need to get laid. For the benefit of mankind." She paused. "You've been a major bitch since the whole Tyler thing went down, and it's been six whole months. Find yourself a rebound man and get on with your life!"

I made a face. "I haven't been moping around or anything. I am moving on with my life."

She chuckled. "B, I meant your sex life. Tyler wasn't even worth the Ben&Jerry's ice cream we bitched about him over."

True. He was a total douche. I sighed. "Well, first I have to find someone even remotely attractive. It takes two to tango, you know?" Just because I was desperate didn't mean I didn't have standards.

She grinned at me. "Bitch, tonight you will find a man so sexy that you won't even remember Tyler's name."

I laughed. "Sure I will." I'd learned long ago to not argue with Alice. She was always right. The crazy bitch was psychic. And she was right again, I needed to forget about the Tyler thing. I didn't even like him that much while we were dating. It was just my pride that was injured, not my heart. "Anyways, where are we meeting Jasper and Peter?"

Her face got the dreamy look she always got when she thought about Jasper. Or saw him. Or talked about him. Or heard his voice. "We're gonna meet them at Breaking Dawn. They already had plans to have a guy day, otherwise I would have rode there with him."

"Shit, really? I could have not seen your ass til we met at the bar?" I groaned, only half-kidding.

She pouted at me. "You're so mean to me. I need to get new friends."

I beamed at her. "You know you love me," I said in a sing-song voice. "And you know I was just kidding, I needed you to make me up."

"True. You're hopeless when it comes to that sort of stuff." She rolled her eyes. And then she pouted again. "Is that the only reason you keep me around?"

"But of course," I said in my would-you-like-some-Grey-Poupon accent.

"Bitch."

"Slut."

"I love you, ho."

"Yo también te quiero."

She scowled. "Bitch, I haven't taken Spanish since Freshman year. _Of high school._ I don't want to hear that shit..." she trailed off. "God, have you ever said anything mean to me in Spanish? If so, have the balls to tell me in a language I understand."

I smirked. I hadn't but that was a fantastic idea. "Eres una puta. Te ves como el culo de un mono."

She stuck her tongue out at me. "Fuck you."

I gave her my sexiest look. "You would."

She gave me bitch glare. I laughed and said, "I love ya, A."

She wrinkled her nose at me. "You are so lucky I love you too," she said. "If I didn't, I would have ditched your ass long ago... Maybe I still will."

"Like you ever would," I challenged. "Well, you're screwed. You're stuck with me for life."

She smiled. "Good. Now let's go find the perfect outfit to match that pretty face. Whatever fuckhot stranger you find tonight won't even know what hit him."

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Hours later, I sat alone at the bar, watching the people on the dance floor and waiting for the bartender to refill my drink. I stared intently at the glass, trying to swirl the ice and make a tornado. Peter was probably off flirting with some girl with hopes to get laid and God knows where Alice and Jasper disappeared off to. I probably didn't even want to know.

The sleazy bartender, Mike, finally made an appearance.

"Would you like a refill?" he asked in a seductive sounding voice.

I inwardly shuddered. I'm kind of drunk but not that drunk. "Yes, please."

He leered at me. "One Sex on the Beach coming right up." He winked.

I couldn't help my shudder this time. "Thanks," I replied in what I'm sure was a disgusted tone.

He winked at me again before going to make my drink. I made a face; he was such a creep. Note to self: keep pepperspray on hand tonight. He might be just pervy enough to make a move.

A low chuckle interrupted my thoughts. "May I sit here?" asked a velvet voice.

I raised my head, preparing to tell the smooth talking fuck to back off, but I was stunned into silence.

He was probably the most beautiful man I had ever laid eyes on. With a perfectly chiseled jaw and perfectly proportioned features, he looked like a Greek god. His eyes were a bright green, an intense color I'd never seen on eyes before. And his mouth. Oh, his mouth was a perfectly sculpted, sexy smirk that looked edible.

I knew I was fucked when I started using 'Alice-isms' in my head.

His smirk grew even bigger, and I realized that I'd been gaping at him this whole time. My jaw snapped shut and blush flooded my face. Shit, I bet I looked like a total dumbass. It's too bad that he probably thinks I'm mentally incompetent. I'm _totally_ drunk enough to do him.

Scratch that, I didn't even need to be drunk.

We just sat there for a second- him looking at me expectantly and me trying to get the courage to speak.

I decided to break the rapidly growing awkward silence. "Um..." Brilliant. "Um... Sure, you can sit here." I tried to shrug nonchalantly, but I was pretty sure I failed.

He smiled brilliantly at me, dazzling me. I tried to remember how to breathe. "Thanks," he said while looking me up and down.

I tried to keep the blush off my face, but I knew it was hopeless. I guess I'll just attempt to talk to him like a civilized person. "It's me who should be thanking you. That guy gives me the creeps," I told him, jerking my head at Mike.

Just then, Mike looked up and tried to give me a slow sexy smirk. It ended looking up like he was constipated, and I started laughing my ass off.

The guy next to me laughed too. "He does give off the creepy vibe, doesn't he?"

We talked and drank together for awhile, and before I knew it, a couple hours had passed.

"Holy shit! I can't believe it's already one in the morning!" I slurred.

He looked at the clock. "Whoa, that's fucking crazy!" he slurred back.

Mike came back to refill our drinks. Or so I thought. "Okay, I'm cutting you guys off," he told us firmly. We groaned. He smiled at me and said, "Can I have your number, and maybe we can get together for drinks sometime?"

I snorted. "Not a chance in hell."

He looked really offended and perhaps a little hurt, but I didn't care. I just kept running my mouth. "Why would I give you maaaaah numbah?" I asked him incredulously. "I hab dis seeexxxxxxyyyyy man right here. You ah nudding!"

"Wow, you are really drunk," he sneered at me. He looked at the dude next to me. "Use protection. You wouldn't want to catch anything." He laughed suggestively.

I opened my mouth to say something bitchy- I mean, really, do I look like I have an STD- when the smokin' hot guy ripped me off my stool and crashed his lips to mine. I totally forgot whatever the fuck I was going to say and shoved my tongue in his mouth.

We moaned simultaneously, and I opened my eyes to see him give me a smoldering look.

"Hey, get out. You can't fuck on my bar," Mike snarled at us.

We ignored him, and I wrapped my legs around him. Damn, he was a great kisser. Probably the best ever.

"HEY! Get the fuck out of here!" Mike looked livid.

I pulled back and looked at the Greek god before me. "Wanna go to my hotel room?"

He smirked. "You didn't even have to ask."

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I groaned and rolled over, blinking at the fucking stupid sun. It was too fucking bright for this early in the morning. Wait, what time was it? And why is there construction going on?

I looked at the clock, and my mouth popped open. It's one in the afternoon? What the flying fuck happened last night?

I realized that there was no construction. It was just my pounding headache. And then I realized I was totally naked. _Holy. Shit._

Memories of last night came flooding in.

_Holy. Shit._

I couldn't remember anything after leaving the bar, but I was pretty sure we had had sex. I winced when I noticed how sore I was.

Yep. There was definitely sex involved.

Well, good for me! I needed to get laid. Alice was right. And that guy _was_ gorgeous. It was hard for me to believe he even wanted to be with me. That guy was definitely out of my league. I was a little pissed that he didn't wait up for me, but I couldn't blame him. I would have done the same thing if I was him. I mean, what would he want with little old Bella Swan?

I froze.

I never asked for his name.

And I'm pretty sure I never gave him mine.

Huh. Anonymous sex? I've never done that before. I usually make it a point to kind of know the guy.

_Whore_!

_Fuck you, subconscious. I can do whatever I want._

But I _did_ wish I knew his name. Beyond the instant attraction I felt when I saw him, we had talked so easily for so long. It was like I'd known him my whole life. I sighed. In the hours we had talked, I can't believe we never thought to properly introduce ourselves. Oh well, it wasn't like he would have wanted anything to do with me anyway.

But I couldn't help but feel crushing disappointment, which was crazy because I didn't even feel that strongly about Tyler. The stranger and I just clicked. And by the way he looked at me, I would have thought he would have stuck around and at least gave me a phone number or something.

_I bet the sex was awesome._

Alice's ringtone, Milkshake- a song inspired by yet another crazy ass night of drinking- came on, scaring the shit out of me. I fell off the bed in my haste to get to my phone in my purse.

"Fuck!" I screamed as I banged my nose on the floor. _Owowowowowow_ that hurt really fucking bad!

I ran to the bathroom and angrily grabbed my phone out of my purse. I growled into the phone, "You better have a good fucking reason for calling me. I almost died trying to get to the phone!"

"Well, good morning to you, too. I'm good, thanks for asking," she snarked into the phone.

I hung up.

I refused to deal with this shit right now.

Unfortunately, that shit had a mind of its own.

_My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard-_

"What the fuck do you want?" I snarled.

"Jesus! What's wrong with you?" she demanded. "I thought you would be better after getting laid, but apparently I was wrong."

"Well, beside having a hangover from hell, _and_ a possibly broken nose, _and_ having no way to contact the guy who's possibly best lay of my life-"

"The best?" she said smugly. Damn it. "I'll meet you for coffee in 45 minutes in the Starbucks at Westfield Mall. See you in a bit!" She hung up on me.

I toyed with the idea of letting her sit there and wait for me, but my desire for coffee won out. I got dressed in the comfiest sweats in my suitcase and popped some Advil. I must have drank a shit ton of alcohol to feel this hung-over. And the stranger had to be... _very_ well hung to have me feeling this sore.

I hobbled over to the counter and grabbed my keys and room card. Time to go face Alice and her inquisition.

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**So what do you think? R&R and maybe there'll be ANOTHER update tomorrow :O**

**But seriously, review. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.**

**And if you're wondering why there's no lemon, Bella can't even remember it, and I didn't want that scene to be the first lemon I had ever written. Maybe I'll do an outtake one day.**

**And I have a rec for ya:)**

**Fan Fiction, Sex Gods and Single Girls by bannerday**

**After a mortifyingly awkward first meeting, fanfiction writer & new teacher, Bella, finds story inspiration in her hot-headed, player-of-a-neighbor. But she shouldn't judge a book by its cover and she just might faint when she discovers who's reading her latest fic! Art imitates life imitates art. A fic in a fic and a homage to this fandom. AH/Canon Couples/Humor/UST/Love & Lust (WIP)**

**I laugh my ass off every couple pages. At first I was skeptical: I mean, a fic in a fic? And then I started reading and immediately fell in love with this story. You have to read it. Do it. NOW! You will not be disappointed.**

**Anyway, Chapter 3 has a little time jump. About a month or so, so be warned:)**

**Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't Twilight, I just like to mess with the characters:) And I still don't have a beta, so all mistakes are mine.**

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_6 weeks later:_

He smirked at me from his place across the room, watching with hooded green eyes as I struggled with my restraints. _Just get your ass over here already._ After watching me for a little while, he sauntered over. _Finally_.

"Do you know how sexy you look? All tied up like this?" He gestured to my spread eagle, bound form.

I just looked at him, unsure of what to say.

He dropped his face closer to mine. "Do you want me to fuck you like this?"

I nodded frantically. Yes, please.

He leaned in closer to kiss me, and then-

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

I groaned into my pillow. How come I couldn't even get some in my dreams? When I'd gotten home, I started having dreams about the stranger. They 'd gotten increasingly more X-rated as the weeks went on, and I was just getting hornier and hornier. I guess I deserved all these sex dreams since I usually stayed up late reading some sub/dom erotica at night. That shit was addicting.

And inspiring.

I dragged my sexually-deprived, grumpy ass out of bed to go make some coffee. I was so tired, I could barely walk straight. School had become the bane of my existence. Thank God this was my last semester. I might have killed someone if I had any longer than that. Hell, I still might. Alice told me I was being a bitch, but I was just so done with that place. All I still had to get my teaching certificate, but that shouldn't take more than a couple months to process.

Just then, my phone chimed with a text.

_B, meet me for lunch? I have to talk to u;) -A_

I smiled. I hadn't had a chance to spend time with Alice for almost a week.

_Sure! Where? -B_

_Um, how bout Pho Ty Ty -A_

_Sounds fab:) What time? -B_

_How about 1? I've got some big news! :D -A_

Oh shit, three exclamation points and a smiley face? This must be huge.

_That sounds exciting. Hint? -B_

_Nope! You'll just have to wait and see:) -A_

_Ur not preggo, are u? -B_

_Of course not! Do u think I'm stupid? -A_

_Is that a rhetorical question? -B_

_Ur a bitch. -A_

_I heart u. -B_

_U too. See ya in a couple hours -A_

I locked my phone and set it down. I wondered what Alice wanted to tell me. Shrugging, I went to go take a shower and get dressed.

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I walked into Pho Ty Ty and smiled at the hostess.

"Table for one or the bar?" she asked, grabbing a menu.

"I'm here for my friend... Is there an Alice here?"

"Sure is." She smiled cheerfully. "Come on back."

She led me to a booth near the window. "Your server will be right out to see what you want. Have a nice day."

I thanked her and looked at Allie expectantly. Arching my eyebrow, I said, "So..?"

She waved her hand in front of her face. "God it's hot in here," she groaned dramatically.

"No it's not, and what does that have to do with anything?" I asked her. "What the hell is-"

And then I saw the ring. "HOLY SHIT! Allie, is that what I think it is?"

She smiled. "If you think it's an engagement ring, then you are correct."

"Oh my God! Allie, I'm so happy for you! Congratulations!" I said, reaching across the table to hug her.

She hugged me back. "I'm so happy, B. This is a dream come true," she told me with tears in her eyes. "You'll be my maid-of-honor, right?"

Her request was unexpected, even though it really shouldn't have been. We'd been planning our weddings since we were kids, and being each other's maid of honor was always the plan. I almost burst into tears. "Of course I will!" I reassured her. "I'll be the most amazing maid-of-honor in the history of the world."

She laughed. "Of course you will," she agreed with me. "Actually, I'll be the best once you tie the knot. Sorry, sweetie."

I playfully gave her the bitch glare. "Is that a challenge?"

"No, it's a fact," she told me with a straight face.

I made a face. "Bitch." I started laughing. "Anyway, when are you guys gonna do this?"

"We were thinking maybe next May. A spring wedding," she said dreamily.

"Sounds beautiful, Allie."

"It does, doesn't it?" She grinned. "Bitch, I'm getting married!"

"We need to go out and celebrate," I told her. "Let's go out to dinner and get tipsy."

"Sounds like a plan. Just us?" she asked.

"Well, if you want to bring Jazz and maybe Peter, that's fine. Let's keep it small though." There was no way I could afford paying for more than four people, and I was definitely paying.

"Deal." She beamed at me. "B, I'm just so happy."

"Me too. You're my best friend, and I want you to be happy," I told her emotionally. God, I was turning into such a sap.

We ordered lunch and kept talking about her impending nuptials. Our lunch arrived and I dug in. I was ravenous. I'd probably eaten more in the last couple days than I usually did in a month.

All of a sudden, the delicious smell of pho wasn't so delicious anymore, and my stomach clenched. Throwing my hand over mouth, I bolted to the bathroom. Thank God we were seated so close to it. I ran into the nearest stall and proceeded to lose my lunch.

Alice walked in and shut the door. Then she held my hair until I was done. She looked at me, concerned. "Are you all right, B?"

I looked at her like she was stupid. Did I look fine? Then I realized I actually did feel fine, despite my puking session. Huh. "I'm fine, Allie. I actually feel pretty normal."

"Are you sure? Do you think you're coming down with something? Did you eat something shitty last night?" she fired at me.

"Um... I don't feel sick. And I don't think you can get food poisoning off of ramen noodles."

She froze. "Holy shit."

"What?" I asked her.

"You don't think you could be, you know.." she trailed off.

"I could be what?" I asked her confusedly.

"When was your last period?" she questioned me.

"What does that have to do with any-" Holy. Shit. I went slack-jawed. "Holy shit."

I couldn't remember when I'd had my last period. I had been so busy with school and our vacation it had completely slipped my mind. Oh. My. God. I pulled out my phone and looked at the calendar app.

My eyes widened. "Holy shit."

Allie looked panicked. "When was it?" she demanded.

"Two months ago," I whispered. Tears started rolling down my face. Oh my God.

Alice's eyes bugged out of her head. "Holy shit, B. You're..." she trailed off.

"Don't. I might not be. It could be stress, right? Right?"

She looked doubtful. "I guess."

I was doubtful, too. It all added up, but I needed confirmation. Now. "Can you... Will you come with me?" She looked confused. "To the drugstore," I clarified.

"Of course I will," she assured me. "Let's go."

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We pulled into the parking lot at Safeway. We headed straight for the feminine hygiene section, unsure of where the pregnancy tests were located. We looked around for a few minutes before Alice called me over.

"Here they are," she gestured. They were ironically located next to the condoms. Now that was an effective birth control. Wait a second...

"Allie, I was on birth control," I said, really relieved. My prescription ran out when I got back, but I was definitely on it when we were in San Fransisco.

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you didn't forget one day?"

Damn. I forgot quite a few times, especially on vacation. "Yeah, but shouldn't those days be cancelled out by all the times I did remember?"

"I'm pretty sure you have to take one everyday for them to be effective," she told me.

Double damn. "Shit. Which one of these should I get anyway?" There were shit tons of them.

"I don't know. I'm not exactly experienced with this sort of things." She rolled her eyes.

I narrowed at my eyes at her. "Don't fuck with me right now." I bit my lip and tried not to cry.

She instantly looked remorseful. "I'm sorry. I'm a dick for even joking about it right now," she apologized.

"It's okay, Allie. It's not your fault I'm a dumbass." I sniffed. "What do I do if I am?" I started bawling.

She wrapped her arms around me. "I don't know sweetie, but I'll support you in whatever you decide."

"Thanks, Allie."

I grabbed four boxes with two tests each. I had to be sure. Three boasted being 99.9% accurate and the other was digital, just in case my dumbass couldn't read the tests right.

"I know you have class at four, but could you come home with me for a little while? I don't want to be alone," I said dully.

"Of course. I can just miss class," she told me dismissively.

My eyes filled with tears again. "You're the best, Allie."

"This is what best friends are for," she told me, her eyes wet too.

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"I'll be right outside, kay?" she promised. "Just come and sit with me while we wait."

"Okay." I was on the verge of hyperventilating. I reached with a shaky hand to open the door, nearly missing the handle.

She looked at me sympathetically. "Or I can wait in there with you? I'll turn around if you want me to."

I nodded. "Please, Allie."

I sat on the toilet for about ten minutes, holding my Solo cup. I just couldn't do it, despite the gallon of water I had just forced down.

"Come on, babe, you can do it," Alice encouraged me. She turned on the water and turned around and stuck her fingers in her ears.

Finally, I did it. I prepared the tests and washed my hands. Allie set a timer on her phone and opened her arms wide. I immediately went to her embrace. She held me while I cried.

This could be a false alarm, right? It was a possibility, right? I mean, there was no way I could be pregnant! I still had to go to school and everything. I still needed to get a job. I mean, I was only 23 for God's sake! I couldn't be a mom, especially since I had no idea how to be. My mom wasn't exactly the best example, considering she bailed on me and my dad when I was only ten. This had to be a huge misunderstanding. Those tests would all read negative, and me and Allie would laugh about our overreactions.

But there was this little voice in my head telling me that I was just making excuses. I had to be pregnant. It all added up: the sex dreams, the appetite, the sickness, the lethargy, the attitude, the absence of Aunt Flo.

My mind refused to believe this instinct. I had dreams! None of them involved a baby! At least not this early. Plus, I wasn't married or in love. I wasn't even dating anyone.

Oh shit.

What do I do about the stranger? I had no way of reaching him, not even a first name to go off of. I guess I was raising this baby on my own.

If there was a baby.

Holy shit.

The timer on Allie's phone went off. We looked at each other for a long minute, unsure of what to do. Finally, she stood and offered me her hand.

I looked at it and then at her, panicked. I'm not ready for this. I'm not ready for this. I'm so not ready for this.

She forced me up and grabbed my hand, dragging me to the bathroom. She opened the door and gestured for me to go in first.

Taking a deep breath, I entered the bathroom to confront my fate. I walked over to the bathtub and looked at the row of tests on the edge of my bathtub.

Holy shit.

I stared at the two pink lines. And the other two pink lines. And the smiley face. And the other smiley face. And the blue line. And the other blue line. And finally, at the end of the long line, two sticks digitally proclaiming me pregnant.

I let out a strangled sob and sank to my knees.

Allie was at my side in an instant and looked at the tests. She started crying too.

"Sweetie, it will all work out. It'll be okay. I'm here for you. Everyone will support you," she soothed me.

I cried even harder. Charlie was going to be so disappointed. I was supposed to make something out of my life. And Renee would bitch me out about ruining my life. And everyone back home would think I was a whore they found out I had a baby out of wedlock with a total stranger.

And the stranger. The one I'd been obsessing over for over a month had unknowingly knocked me up. And he'd probably never know.

"Why the FUCK didn't he use protection?" I roared.

Alice jumped a little at my outburst. "And why the FUCK didn't we think to introduce ourselves?" I shouted. I'd already regretted not telling him my name or giving him my number, but now it was going to be the worst mistake of my life. "I should have gave him my number or asked for his," I whispered brokenly.

"People have one-night stands all the time. I mean, usually after introducing themselves, but you couldn't have known about... the baby." She paused. "You had no reason to give him your number and he had no reason to give you his... He should have wrapped it up, though," she said angrily. "He should have known this could have happened. Asshole."

"Yeah, what an ass," I agreed. "Now I have to raise a baby... By myself." My tears stopped flowing, but they were still there, ready to pour at the drop of a hat.

"Well, let's look at the bright side," Alice said. "There's a real life mini-B in there." She pointed at my stomach smiled. "You're going to be a mommy, and I'm going to be an aunty."

I froze. I hadn't even thought about the baby. I allowed myself to think about a little mini-me, with his eyes and hair. I gave Alice a little smile.

"See! This can be a good thing," she assured me. "A little baby Bella."

Huh. I guess this could be a good thing. I wasn't too sure, though. Then another thought hit me. "Allie! I've drank since that night!" I said, panicked. "What if I hurt the baby?"

Her eyes widened. "Shit, B!" she shouted. Well, that wasn't exactly reassuring. I started crying again. No matter how unexpected it was, I wouldn't want to unintentionally hurt my baby. "I'll google it, but you better schedule a doctor's appointment ASAP," she instructed me.

"Okay. I will," I told her. "Shit, I guess we can't go out tonight."

We looked at each other before bursting into teary laughter.

We googled 'is it okay that i drank before finding out i was pregnant?' The website said it should be alright, just don't do it anymore. Of course I wouldn't. I'm not a complete moron. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whew. That's great. I was really worried," I said.

She smiled. "I still think you should see a doctor, though. I'll google OB-GYNs right now."

"Sounds good to me."

We looked at different doctors and finally settled with Dr. Victoria Wilde. She seemed really qualified, and she was a she. There was no way I was letting some old dude prod around my junk. That shit would not fly. I called her business number.

"Dr. Victoria Wilde's office speaking," a professional, clipped voice said into the phone.

"Oh, um, hi. I'd like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Wilde," I stuttered.

"What is the nature of this appointment?" the voice inquired.

"Well, um, I think I'm pregnant."

"Okay, when would you like to come in?"

I thought for a second. "As soon as possible."

"Well, we had a cancellation for tomorrow at noon. Should I pencil you in?"

Wow, that was soon. "Sure, thanks."

"Name?"

"Isabella Swan."

"Okay, perfect. See you tomorrow, Ms. Swan." She hung up.

Alice was in my face in a flash. "When is it? Did she say anything?" she interrogated me.

"Whoa, calm down." I held my hands out. "It's at noon and we didn't exactly have a lonng conversation."

Alice bit her lip. "Well, you have to let me know how it goes."

"Let you know how it goes? You don't have class, so your ass better be there," I told her.

Her face lit up. "You really want me there?"

I rolled my eyes. "Who else?"

"Bella," she began. "I'm here for you. You know that, right?"

"I know, and you really are the best friend I could ever have."

"Let's have a slumber party to get our minds off this. Let me just call Jazz."

I gasped. "Holy shit, Alice! All this shit made me forget about your news! I'm so sorry, I'm the worst friend ever." I hung my head in shame. "Just go home to your man."

"No, I do that every night, and you really need me right now," she said softly but firmly. "And I don't blame you, this is life-changing."

"I still feel like shit," I groaned. "Are you sure you don't want to be with him?"

She nodded. "Positive. You need me, and I want to be with you and Bella Jr."

I giggled. "That is so definitely not the name I'm going with."

"Well that's what she'll be until you figure one out."

"She?" I raised my eyebrow at her.

"I just have a feeling."

I shrugged. Her feelings were almost always right. "A little girl, huh?" I pondered. "I'm still not sure how I feel about all this."

"You'll figure it all out," she reassured me.

I guess I would have to.

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**What do you think?**

**So I was planning on updating on Friday, and I did get a lot of writing done on my road trip. But I didn't realize my hotel didn't have wifi until I got there. I was pretty pissed.  
**

**Anyway, I'll start trying to update every Wednesday and Sunday. RL sometimes gets in the way, so don't be uber-pissed if I'm late.**

**Rate and review, it makes me sooooooo happy. As does favoriting and following me. If I get tons of reviews, I might post a day early (wink wink, nudge nudge).**

**See you on Wednesday!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I know I said Wednesday, but I'm just super duper excited about updating:)**

**I just wanted to let you guys know I went back and beta-d the first three chapters. I wrote them when I was sleep-deprived, so they weren't the most polished things I've ever wrote.**

**So, anyway, here you go:)**

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The time spent sitting outside of the doctor's office with Alice was probably the longest 20 minutes of my life. This was it. We'd read about false positives last night, but I didn't think that was what was going on with me. I had a gut feeling. Literally. But I was still nervous for the confirmation.

I'd also come to the conclusion that this pregnancy wasn't a bad thing. Unexpected, yes, but it didn't necessarily ruin all my plans and dreams. Just delayed them for a little while. I was going to be done with school in a couple months anyway. And I guess I would just take this year off instead of teaching like I originally planned. But I was determined that this baby would be loved. She would never think she was a mistake. And she wasn't, she was just one of the unexpected turns of life.

A woman with flaming red hair walked in. "Ms. Swan?" she called out, scanning the room. I stood up. She smiled at me and said, "Come on back."

I swallowed. "C'mon Allie," I said, grabbing her hand.

The doctor led us to an examination room. "I'm Dr. Victoria Wilde," she said, shaking my hand.

"I'm Bella Swan, and this is Alice Brandon," I told her.

"I'm going to need a blood test to confirm your pregnancy," she said. I nodded, and she grabbed my hand and pricked my finger. She squeezed a couple drops onto a stick, not unlike the ones I peed on. "This is called a qualitative test," she explained. "I should have your results in three minutes." Exactly like the sticks I peed on. "Go ahead and take a seat while we wait.

"Anyway, have you had any symptoms other than the missed period?" she asked me.

"Well, I puked yesterday and this morning, and I've been eating like a cow." I thought for a second, pursing my lips. "And I've been really tired lately."

"And sort of pissy," Alice interjected. I gave her bitch glare. She shrunk back in her seat a little.

Dr. Wilde laughed. "It's not unusual for those close to you to notice symptoms too, so try not to get too upset." She paused for a second, seeming to choose her next words carefully. "Are you best friends? Or sisters? Or are you... partners?"

"No!" we both shouted.

"I mean, we're best friends. Bella's a hot bitch, but I don't swing that way," Allie rambled.

Why the fuck did I bring her again? Dr. Wilde probably thinks we're crazy homophobes from the way we reacted. Shit. I blushed.

"I'm sorry for our outburst, but we're pretty much sisters. That's just a weird concept for us," I tried to explain so I didn't feel like such an ass.

"Oh, it's fine. I was just curious..." she trailed off. "Where's daddy, then? If you don't mind me asking..?"

I shrugged. "Daddy's not in the picture."

Dr Wilde gasped. "I'm so sorry for asking. I'm being really unprofessional right now. You're my first patient, so sorry if I'm a little frazzled."

What the hell? I thought she was really experienced and highly qualified when I found her on google. Maybe I shouldn't have found my gyno through the internet.

"I'm your first patient?" I choked out.

She looked panicked, realizing she could have just fucked this all up. "Well, I'm treating my friend Dr. Hale's patients while she's on maternity leave, but you're the first one that's actually wanted _me_."

We were saved from this awkward conversation by the buzzing of the timer. She walked over to the counter and looked at the stick. "Congratulations! You are definitely pregnant."

I gave her a half-smile. I knew it. "So what does that mean for the rest of this appointment?" I asked her.

"Well, I'll give you a physical and a pelvic exam," she told me. "Then we'll talk a little more."

I hopped up onto the examination table and gave Allie a look when she stayed in her chair. She looked back, confused.

"Allie, I love you with all my heart, but I don't really want you in here while the doctor prods my lady bits."

"Oh. OH! Oh god, I wouldn't want that either. I'm going to run to the Starbucks across the street. Want anything?"

"If they have hot chocolate then get me some of that." We read yesterday that caffeine was a no-no while pregnant, and I was addicted to coffee. Being even more tired than usual, the next seven months were going to be a real bitch.

"Of course, sweetie." She smiled at me. Then she turned to Dr. Wilde. "How long will it be? And do you want anything?"

"No, no I couldn't possibly have you get me anything," she said, looking a little disappointed. "And around 45 minutes."

"Kay, I'll be back," she promised. "See ya in a little bit, B."

"Bye."

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After a very long, very invasive forty-five minutes, Dr. Wilde opened the door to let Allie back in.

She bounced into the room. "How is she, Dr. Wilde? And I got you a carmel frappucino."

The doctor looked thrilled. "This is exactly what I get there!" she exclaimed. "How did you know?"

Alice shrugged. "I'm psychic. And I saw that they had white hot chocolate, so that's what I got you."

White hot chocolate? That sounded amazing. I took it from her and tried a sip. Oh my God. "Oh my God, Alice! This stuff is fantastic!"

She smiled triumphantly. " I knew you would love it," she told me. "Anyway how did it go, Doctor?"

"Forgive me if I'm being inappropriate, but please call me Victoria," she said, looking at both of us.

I grinned. I genuinely liked her. "As long as you call me Bella."

She looked relieved. "Okay, Bella, you are doing just fine. I looked at your file and there doesn't seem to be any medical history that could be worrisome." She paused. "You're about eight weeks along, and you're due somewhere around the beginning of October."

"Can we see her?" Alice asked impatiently.

"Who, the baby?" she asked. Allie nodded. "I'm afraid it's a little too early to see the fetus or even hear a heartbeat. And why are you so positive it's a girl?"

"I just know," Allie deadpanned.

Victoria looked at her for a minute and shrugged. "Well, I guess since you're psychic I'll take your word for it," she joked.

We all laughed. Victoria walked over to the wall and grabbed some pamphlets. "Here are some do and don'ts of pregnancy. You really need to have a healthy, balanced diet. Drink lots of water. Sleep regularly every night. Do some gentle exercises," she instructed me. "And I'll get you started on some prenatal care." She wrote me a prescription and gave me the first months supply.

"Thank you, Victoria," I said sincerely. "I really appreciate it."

"Your welcome, Bella. Do you want to schedule an appointment for 12 weeks?" she asked hopefully.

First time doctor. First time mom. What the hell? "Sure, sounds great."

Victoria beamed. "Just talk to Jane on your way out. Good luck, Bella. See you in a month."

"Bye, Victoria."

After scheduling an appointment for the following month, Alice and I walked outside. Now came the hard part.

"Allie, I should probably call my dad," I told her, feeling a little sick.

She looked at me sympathetically. "Want to go to Forks this weekend?" she asked. "This type of news seems like it should be done in person, not over the phone."

So I can see the disappointment on his face in person? Great. I sighed. "True. Okay, let's go."

"Um, can I take Jazz?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course! I'm not going to take you away from your fiancée!" I said indignantly. "Speaking of Jasper, I probably need to tell him too."

"Yay! Another road trip!" she squealed. "Let's go see him at work right now, so we can tell him he's going to be an uncle."

"Sounds good, Allie." I paused. "Are you sure he won't mind us barging in on him?"

Jasper had just barely passed the bar test and was now working at his father's firm. I just didn't want to bother him at work.

She waved her hand dismissively. "I do it all the time. He loves seeing me," she reassured me.

I shrugged. "Okay, then."

I was a little nervous. Jasper was the most blunt person of our little group, and he wouldn't hesitate to tell me I was a dumbass or that I was going to be a shitty mom. And I valued his opinion, so I would be heartbroken if he said anything negative.

"Come on, B. Let's go!"

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"So let me get this straight. You had a one-night stand while we were in San Fran, didn't even get the guy's name, and got knocked up?"

I nodded.

He started laughing. "Jesus, Bella! You have the shittiest luck possible, don't you?"

Alice jumped in, "Jazz, don't be an asshole. It's not Bella's fault!"

"I'm not being an asshole, darlin'. Bella _does_ have really shitty luck," he explained quickly.

"This baby is going to make Bella's life perfect. I don't call that shitty luck," she insisted stubbornly.

Jazz looked at me and smiled. "That might be true," he agreed. "You're going to be a fantastic mom, Bella."

I almost started crying. If Jazz said it, it must be true. "Thanks, Jazz," I said quietly.

He got up and gave me a hug. "It's true, B. You're gonna love this baby so much, I can just tell. And I'm here for you if the baby's daddy comes back into the picture. I'll have your ass covered," he promised.

I laughed. "Thanks, Jazz. You're the best. This baby is going to have the most kickass family," I told them.

"Of course! I'll teach him how to play football and pick up girls and shave and-"

"It's a girl, Jazz. I just know it," Alice cut in.

"Lies. There's a bouncing baby boy in there!" he said indignantly. "I can feel it."

"Well, I can feel it too, and it's a girl!"

"I'll bet you one hundred bucks it's a boy."

What the hell, Jasper? You never, ever bet against Alice. She's always right. He should have known this by now, but I guess he was still holding on hope that he would beat her one day. As if.

Alice smirked. "Deal." She looked so cocky. I guess I was having a girl.

Huh. I wondered what she would really look like. Would she be pretty? Would she have a nice smile, one that could light up the room? Would she have my blush? Would she have long curls or straight hair? I just hope she had his eye and hair color. They were so beautiful. Would she be smart? Athletic? Kind? Dramatic? Would she be an angel? Or would she have a naughty streak?

I realized her personality had a lot to do with how I raised her. What if I messed her up? What if I spoiled her too much and she became a little brat? Screw my dad being disappointed, I needed to talk to him as soon as possible. I needed to figure out how to raise a kid. Suddenly, the weekend seemed too far away.

Shit, I still needed to figure out where we would live. My lease expires in May, so where would I go? The plan was to move in with my dad for the summer before I found a job, but I can't get a job anymore.

I sighed. This was going to be an interesting weekend.

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"Jasper, can we stop again? I really have to pee."

We were on our road trip to Forks, and I felt really bad. Usually, we could make the four hour trip without stopping, but I had already needed to stop to pee twice and puke on the side of the road.

Jasper was great about it though. He smiled at me in the mirror and said, "Sure, B, we'll stop at the gas station in a couple miles, okay?"

I beamed back at him. "You're the best. Thanks for coming with me," I told him gratefully.

He shrugged. "It's not a big deal. You're like a little sister to me, I'd do anything for you."

I started crying. "Jazz, you can't say shit like that. You'll make me cry."

He rolled his eyes. "Sorry, B, but everything makes you cry."

I stopped crying and gave him bitch glare. "Baby is fucking with my hormones right now, so don't mess with me."

I immediately felt bad and started crying again. "I'm sorry, Jazz! You've been so nice to me, and I'm being a complete bitch," I sobbed.

Jazz sighed. "It's okay, B, I know it's not your fault. I don't blame you at all, so don't worry your pretty little head about it."

"Thanks, Jazz," I sniffed.

Alice groaned and rolled over and stared at me from the passenger seat. She yawned. "B, what's wrong? Jasper's not being an asshole, right?"

I felt bad that she immediately thought it was Jazz's fault. "No, I'm the asshole," I corrected her. "He's being so nice, and I'm being a hormonal bitch."

Her face softened. "B, it's not your fault." She looked at my tummy and poked it. "Stop making your mama so crazy!" she commanded.

I started giggling. "Oh, Alice."

Jazz interrupted us, "We're here, B."

Oh thank God. I opened the door and jogged inside to the bathroom. When I came out, they were looking at hats. Alice beckoned me over. "B! Look at this!"

I looked at the hat she was pointing at. It was navy blue with a green fish under the words _World's Best Grandpa_. It was perfect.

"Oh my God, Alice! I have to give that to my dad!" I told her excitedly. "You know how much he loves to fish. I'm pretty sure he would get a kick out of it."

"Oh I know he will," she said, smiling. "Grab it. Do you want anything else?"

"Ooooh I'm gonna grab me some Peachy-Os!" I fucking loved Peachy-Os. I'd get Dr. Pepper too, but I can't have any. Damn no caffeine rule. I walked over to the soda machine to get some Sprite instead.

I went to go pay for my treats and hat, but Jasper cut me off and handed the cashier his card.

"Jasper! You don't need to buy my shit!" I blurted. He waved me off.

"It's no problem, B. I want to do something nice for you and my nephew," he explained.

Alice popped up out of nowhere. "Niece!" she insisted.

"Whatever you say, darlin'."

I took my goodies to the car. A yawn escaped me. We still had two hours left, maybe I could fall asleep on the way there.

Alice noticed my tiredness and ushered me to the front seat. I started to protest, but she waved me off. "I know you're tired, and it's more comfortable up here."

"But, Allie, it's your car!" I said weakly.

"Shut up. If you go to sleep, maybe we can drive without interruption."

That shut me up. Was I bothering them? I sighed and climbed in the front seat.

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I woke up to Alice poking my arm. "Bella. Bella, wake up we're here. Bel-la," she sang.

I groaned, then I shot up. "Really? Already?" I asked in shock.

"Yeah, you slept like the dead. Does your dad know you're already here? Whose car is that?"

"Um... My dad sort of, kind of didn't know I was coming," I admitted. "And what car?"

"YOUR DAD DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE COMING? WHAT THE FUCK BELLA?" she shouted at me.

"It's a surprise visit," I told her.

"It's a surprise 'oh, hey dad, you're going to be a granddaddy!' visit?"

"Yup."

"Bella, just- wow." She shook her head. "What if he has plans?"

"I texted him, and he said he was just going to be staying home all weekend."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, me and Jazz will wait for you to go inside, then we're going to check in at our hotel and go visit my parents."

"Okay, that's fine." Shit, she was leaving? No one to hold my hand while I told my dad.

She saw the look on my face. "B, I love you, but I think this is something you need to do on your own."

She was right. "Okay, Allie. I'll call you later?"

"Of course! I need to know how it goes!" she told me.

"Wish me luck," I whispered as I walked up the path. I raised my hand and knocked. Here goes nothing.

I waited for a couple minutes, he didn't answer. I rang the doorbell.

Still no answer.

I rang the doorbell six or seven time in quick succession. Suddenly, the door flew open.

"What the hell-" He looked at me in shock. "Bella?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, dad. I need- holy shit!"

I had gotten a good look at him. He was shirtless, and his hair was disheveled.

And he had a hickey.

Oh. My. God. This can not be happening. My dad was in a... compromising situation. Holy shit! I thought he was asexual!

Okay, not really.

But I still liked pretending.

Oh my God. _Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww_.

Alice was right. I definitely should have called.

"Um, I should have called first, but I really needed to talk to you," I told him, blushing up a storm and looking at the ground.

"Uh, yeah, probably." He, too, was looking at the ground and blushing.

"Uh, sorry about that, but I, um, really need to talk to you."

"Uh, sure. Just give me a minute," he told me.

"Um, sure," I answered. "Who's here, by the way?"

His blush deepened. "Sue Clearwater."

I raised my eyebrows. Nice. "Nice." And it was, really. Sue was really cool. Her daughter was a complete bitch, though.

"Come on in, you can wait in the kitchen."

I sat down at the table and took out my phone. There was a text from Alice.

_What took ur dad so long? -A_

_He was with Sue! -B_

_Clearwater!? Shut the fuck up really? -A_

_Yes, really! I am so grossed out right now its not even funny :O -B_

_Aw poor B. I told u so! U should have called! -A_

_Screw u :P -B_

_I lub u ho. Let me know how it goes. -A_

_Sure sure -B_

I set my phone down. A couple minutes later, Sue and Dad walked into the kitchen, looking sheepish and blushing.

"Hi, Bella," Sue greeted awkwardly.

"Hi, Sue," I replied.

"So what do you need to talk about, Bells?" Charlie asked.

"Um..." I stalled. "How bout we go out to eat while we talk?"

"I actually have to get going, so I'll leave you guys to it," Sue interjected. "Bye, Charlie." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

My dad blushed. "Bye, Sue."

I smirked at him. "Bye, Sue."

I turned to my dad. "So... you and Sue?"

He glared at me, silently daring me to make fun of him. "Yeah," he confirmed. "Anyway, wanna go to the Lodge?"

"Sure, just let me go get my-" I threw my hand over my mouth and sprinted to the bathroom. Damn morning sickness. Who the fuck decided to call it 'morning' sickness? I was pretty sure it was past six o'clock at night, and that was definitely _not_ morning. It should be called morning-day-and-night sickness.

When I was finished, I stood up and turned around. My dad was standing in the doorway.

"Are you all right?" he asked sympathetically. "It sucks you got sick the day you finally come visit your old man." He looked pretty disappointed, even though I interrupted his time with Sue. I felt a pang of guilt. I really should visit more often.

I gave a short laugh. "I'm fine. This happens all the time now." I made a face. "Really, it's okay. Let's go to the Lodge."

"Are you sure? And what do you mean this happens all the time? Is there something wrong?" He appeared worried.

"No, I'm fine, Dad. I'm just..." I trailed off. "Hold on."

I ran back over to my purse and grabbed my plastic bag. Dad had followed me into the kitchen and was now looking at me expectantly.

"Well..?"

"Here," I answered, almost throwing the bag at him.

He opened it quickly and looked at the hat. I could see the exact moment the words sunk in. His mouth popped open in shock, and he looked at me and my belly, as if he could see a non-existent bump.

"Bella..?"

"You're going to be a grandpa."

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**So what did you think?**

**And I've decided that all reviewers will get teasers, and because of that I'm going to stick to a schedule. And that schedule will be updates every Monday and Friday. Maybe I'll go a day early if I get a shit ton of reviews, and I mean a shit ton.**

**Fav and follow, it makes me soooooooooooo freakin happy:)**

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**This is still unbetad. I've looked, but I'm scared. What if they tell me that my story sucks? I have an unhealthy fear of rejection.**

**Anyway, everything Twilight belongs to StephMeyer. However, this plot is mine:D**

**So, anyway, here you go:)**

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I watched as my dad's face turned red, took on a purplish hue, and finally paled to albino white. Shit. Definitely not a good sign.

There was a long awkward pause before Dad broke the silence.

"So... Really?" he asked, his face unreadable.

"No, Dad, I was just messing with you." I rolled my eyes. "Yes, really."

"Huh. So how do you feel about all of this?"

Not a question I was expecting. "Honestly? I don't know. I decided that this baby would always know that it's loved, but I'm so scared."

"Scared? Scared of what?"

Scared of what? Of _everything_! "What if I'm a shitty mom like her, Dad? What am I going to do? I don't know how to be a mom! I don't even have a good reference! And I don't where I'm going to live. Or how I'm going to get a job. How do I raise a baby by myself?"

My dad raised his eyebrow, looking pretty pissed. "Where's the father?"

I gave a nervous chuckle. "Well, you see... I kinda don't know his name, and he doesn't know about this baby."

His eyeballs appeared to be almost popping out of his skull. "What the... How in the..." he trailed off. "Do I even want to know?"

"Um. Probably not," I replied.

He shook his head, mumbling something about not being able to use his gun on anyone. Thank God. "Okay, then." He paused. "Anyway, Bells, there's not a doubt in my mind that you'll be a great mom."

"Really?" I was shocked. No lecture?

"Yes, really," my dad reassured me. "You care so much about everyone. You are nothing like Renée. I'm positive that this baby will have the best mom in the world."

"Thanks, Dad, but what about my job? Where are we going to live? When I finally get a job, what will I do?"

My dad smiled a brilliant smile. Huh? "Well, there's an opening at Fork's Elementary for a third grade teacher next year," my dad told me hopefully. "And Sue runs a daycare, so she could watch Squirt."

_Squirt_? Whatever. "Dad, no one's going to hire someone who has to take maternity leave pretty much the second she gets there!" I told him.

"From what I hear, no one here has expressed any interest in the job. And Forks isn't exactly a place where out-of-towners move to better their careers," he said thoughtfully. "And Ms. Cope is the principal there now, and she adored you. I'm sure she'd give you a job in a heartbeat."

That was actually kind of a good idea. "Okay, Dad, I'll look into it."

He actually looked kind of thrilled. I said, "So... How do you feel about all this?"

Shrugging, he replied, "Oh, I don't know."

I gave him bitch glare. "Okay, okay. I'm really excited," he admitted. "My baby's having a baby, and they're moving back home!"

Wow, I guess my dad really did miss me. "_Maybe_. We _might_ move back home."

He pouted at me. Pouted? What the hell? "Bells, please..?" he trailed off. Then he looked smug. "It's not like you have anywhere to go."

Jerk. He had a point though. "Guess I'm moving back home."

My dad beamed. "Come on, let's go to the Lodge to celebrate." He looked at my belly. "No making mama sick!" he commanded.

I snorted. Why was everyone talking to my stomach? I was pretty sure the baby couldn't hear anything.

"C'mon grandpa, let's go."

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Later that night, I sat in my childhood bedroom, thinking about my dad's reaction. He was actually really ecstatic about being a grandpa. I guess it wasn't like I was in high school or anything. I was an adult who was pretty much done with school, faced with an unplanned pregnancy. My situation wasn't that awful. Just unexpected. _Really_ unexpected. I mean, I wasn't all alone. I had a kickass support system. Just then, my phone rang.

_Hey soul sister_

_Ain't that mister mister_

_On the radio, stereo_

_The way you move ain't fair, you know-_

I smirked, picking up the phone. "Hey, Ang. What's up?"

"Hey, sis, I have big news." She sounded thrilled.

So did I, babe. So did I. "What?"

"Me and Ben got accepted to U Dub!" she shouted excitedly into the phone.

I held the phone away from my ear until she was done shouting, then I yelled, "Ang! That's great! I'm really happy you're going to be so close."

I was very happy, I had missed my baby sister. I rarely saw her since she lived all the way in Phoenix. Me and Angela had had a very close bond ever since her dad married my mom. She had been nine and I had been fifteen. Even when the inevitable divorce came, we still remained sisters. Her dad and my dad were really cool about letting us spend time together, even hanging out with each other- awkwardness be damned. Our dads were the best.

"I know! Where are you going to be teaching? Are you staying in Seattle? she asked hopefully.

"Um, nope. I have to move back in with my dad," I replied.

"Could you not find a job?" Her voice was sympathetic.

"I kinda didn't look for one in Seattle. But I'm probably going to get a job in Forks as a third grade teacher," I told her.

"What? Why?" She sounded shocked. I guess my excitement to get out of Forks wasn't that much of a secret.

"Well, I kinda need my dad's help with something," I hedged. Shit, I wasn't planning on telling Ang so soon. I didn't see another way out, though.

"Like what?"

"Um... You're going to be an aunty?"

Silence. Then-

"NO EFFING WAY BELLA, REALLY?" she shrieked. "Oh my God. How long have you known? What is it? When is it due? OH MY GOD, BELLA! That's great!"

Well, I guess I shouldn't have worried about her reaction. She seemed pretty damn excited.

"Well, I found out Tuesday. I'm eight weeks along, so the doctor can't tell what I'm having, although Alice is convince it's a girl. And it's due around the beginning of October," I answered.

"Oh my God, Bella! That's _crazy_! Are you excited?"

"Kind of. I'm really scared though," I admitted.

"Don't be. You'll be a great mom," she reassured me.

"Thanks, Ang."

"Of course! And whenever you need a babysitter, I'm down."

"Thanks, Ang. I really appreciate it," I told her sincerely. Between Charlie, Alice, and Angela, I had babysitting covered.

We talked for a little while longer before we hung up. With the help of my family and friends, I might actually succeed at the whole parenting thing.

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I had to pee. I had to pee. I had to pee.

Victoria was a dumbass. She had called me a few days before my appointment to tell me to drink plenty of fluids before my appointment and to try not to pee. Telling a pregnant woman not to pee after drinking a bunch of water? Not a great plan.

Especially when your ass is twenty minutes late to the appointment. That shit was not cool. I felt bad though, I told her that she could be my regular OB-GYN, but now I was moving to Forks, so that was an impossibility. I'd have to find a new doctor in Port Angeles, because there was no way that I'd let Dr. Gerandy, the ancient obstetrician at Forks Hospital, deliver my baby. He'd probably delivered _me_. Matter of fact, I was pretty sure he did. I would miss Victoria, she was a really cool doctor, punctuality problems aside.

Where the hell was she? I needed to talk to her after the appointment, not only about my move but about the small bump that was forming between my hips. Wasn't it too early for that? And I think it just magically appeared about a week ago. One day, my stomach was flat, and the next it was like, hello baby! How's it going? And I'd heard of cravings, but I didn't expect the _intensity_ I now wanted Oreos and mac and cheese. Like I wanted them all the time. Why couldn't I crave something healthy? Something on the list of shit she wanted me to eat.

Just then, she rushed in, looking defeated. "Sorry I'm late. One of Dr. Hale's appointments ran late," she explained hollowly.

She looked like shit. "What's wrong?"

"Don't worry about it," she snapped at me. Immediately, she looked abashed.

"Sorry! Sorry, I-I just... My other appointment ran late," she repeated lamely. "Where's Alice?"

Smooth. I wonder what happened? Probably an appointment gone wrong. There was a scary thought. "She had to go to school. She was pissed though, she really wanted to be here. Baby's first smile and all that," I told her.

"That sucks," she said sympathetically. "Well, you get to see your baby today! Are you excited?"

"Yeah, I'm really nervous though."

She waved her hand in dismissal. "Lots of first-time mothers feel that way. Now, let's get started."

She had me get on the examination table and pull up my shirt and slide down my pants a little. Then she put the gel on my belly. Shit, that stuff was freezing.

"That's going to be a little cold." No shit, Sherlock, thanks for telling me after. She rubbed it around with a wand. "Are you ready?"

I nodded. She flipped on the screen. A couple seconds later a black and white picture filled the screen and a thumping filled the room.

_My baby._

I stared at the screen in wonder for a couple minutes before I realized Victoria was talking to me.

"-The head. Those are the arms, and those are the legs. See that string of pear-looking things? That's the spine." She pointed out the parts to me. "And you can hear the heartbeat."

_My baby._

She was so beautiful. Even though she resembled an alien more than a human, she was still the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Wow.

I loved her.

I mean, I had known I was going to love this baby when it was born, but I didn't realize how much. Seeing her on the screen made it real for me. I knew I was going to have a baby, but now there was tangible proof. Now, the fact had sunk in that I was going to have a baby. _My baby._

I was still scared shitless.

But now I was also really excited. I couldn't wait for her to get here.

Victoria soundlessly handed me a tissue, and I realized I was crying. "Thanks," I told her.

She let me gaze at the screen for awhile before interrupting. "Sorry mommy, but we need to get off so we can talk a little," she apologized.

"Can I have a picture?" I asked her.

"Of course," she replied.

After she cleaned me up and handed me a picture, we sat down on the lounge chairs in front of her desk.

"So, I can give you a more precise due date. The baby should be here around October 14th," she informed me. "You can find out the gender at 20 weeks."

"It's a girl," I insisted. "Alice is always right."

She laughed. "Well, you can confirm that in about two months."

"Will do."

"I actually-" we said at the same time.

"You go first," she told me.

"Well, I'm really sorry Victoria, but I need to find a new doctor," I apologized.

"Really, why?" She looked shocked and maybe a little... _Relieved_?

"I'm moving in with my dad in Forks, so I need to find a doctor out there or in Port Angeles."

She grinned. "No way!"

"Huh?"

"I was actually going to tell you that I have to refer you to another doctor," she confessed. "I have to relocate to take care of my mom, and she lives in Port Angeles."

"No way. Well, I guess that takes care of that."

"No kidding. You were the only patient I had to worry about. Dr. Hale gets back before I leave, so all her patients are taken care of."

"Wow." That's convenient.

"Anyway, I won't be moving until the beginning of June, so we can schedule your 16 week appointment, unless you'll already be moved out..?"

"Nope. My lease expires in May, so I'll be moving the last weekend." I paused. "Damn, what a coincidence."

"Tell me about it," she agreed. "Anyway, just talk to Jane on the way out to schedule your appointment for mid-May."

"Thanks, doc." I smirked. "Wait, I have a couple questions for you."

We talked about the bump- "Totally normal." And the cravings- "Remember to eat healthy, too." And some other symptoms- "Morning sickness should subside" and "Your libido is thrown off of balance by all your hormones. Sucks you don't have a partner." Bitch. We said goodbye and I was on my way.

I took a picture of my sonogram picture. _My baby_. I sent it to Alice, Angela, Jasper, and my dad. Their responses were instantaneous,

_Look at my niece! Baby Bella is adorable:) -A_

_OMG! I LOVE HER! She is soooooo cute! Alice is totally right about her being a girl, I can just tell -Ang_

_Congrats Bella -J_

_HE is ,AdoRAble." i CAnT wAit 2 /meEt my GrAndsOn.: -Yur oLD MAN_

I laughed. Even though it was a typo-filled, weirdly capitalized text, I was still proud of my dad. It took him a long time to figure out how to call people on the smart phone I bought him, and now he was texting.

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Apparently, my dad, Angela and Ben- her boyfriend- were all in on the baby gender bet now. I guess everyone called each other about my picture, and Alice spilled the beans on the bet. The girls- Alice and Angela- bet against the boys- Jasper, Ben, and my dad- that the baby was a girl. Everyone put in a hundred bucks, so there was now a $500 reward tagged onto my 20 week ultrasound.

Needless to say, everyone was pretty excited about this appointment.

Angela and Ben had decided to move up immediately after graduation, so they just renewed the lease for my apartment. It was really nice, having her around most of the time. She drove down almostevery weekend to see me. It made me realize how much I missed my baby sister. But that bitch was living on her own, in my- _her_ apartment.

I was still adjusting to moving back in with my dad. I had grown used to living on my own, so it was weird to constantly have someone around again. And it was really annoying to have him babying me all the time. He was treating me like I was made of glass, especially now that I was really showing. You could obviously tell I was pregnant. I felt like a fat cow, and maternity wear was not flattering. Alice told me I looked pregnant, not fat, but I know when the baby's born I'll just look straight up fat, and that's what really bothers me.

I had an appointment with Ms. Cope tomorrow to talk about the job. She seemed really excited about me calling her, getting all nostalgic. I wondered what she'd think after seeing my belly. I hadn't been in town long enough for gossip to spread, so I really hoped she'd still be interested in giving me a job.

"So how was your move, Bella?" Victoria waltzed into her new office.

"Great. Yours?"

Smiling, she said, "Pretty good. Are you ready to see if your baby's really a girl?"

"I know she is. I'm more excited to give the guy's proof that they lost $300 to the girls." I winked.

She laughed. "I forgot about that. Well, I hope you're right..." she trailed off. She shook her head. "Anyway, let's see if your baby's cooperating."

She started getting me ready for the ultrasound. I was kind of used to the coldness since this was my third one.

"Let's see... Here we go." A familiar thrumming filled the room, and my eyes zoomed in on the screen, looking for something. I can't see any extremities besides the arms and legs so that means-

"It's a girl! Looks like Alice was right."

I beamed. My baby girl.

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"I TOLD YOU SO! I TOLD YOU SO! I TOLD YOU SO!" Alice screamed while she waved my sonogram in the guys' faces. Her and Jasper had drove down to celebrate with me and see who won the bet, as did Angela and Ben.

I shit you not, everyone rolled their eyes simultaneously. "Yeah, yeah. We know," Jasper said sourly.

"Never bet against Alice," Angela sang, waving around the envelope with money in it. "Here, you go, Allie." She handed her $250.

"Damn right you never bet against me." She looked so smug. "I knew there was a baby Bella in there!" She gasped, "Oh my God, she can be my flower girl!" Her eyes were blank, probably imagining her wedding.

We ate pizza and partied for awhile, playing the Mario Party Wii game Allie brought, which actually kicked serious ass. Who knew kid games would be so fun? I thought about playing that with my baby and smiled.

"Hey, B, got any names?" Ben inquired.

"Nope. Got any suggestions?" I asked looking around the table. Big mistake.

"Angela!"

"Jasmine!"

"Alice!"

"Carlie!"

"Adalia!"

We all looked at Ben with our eyebrows raised. He blushed and ducked his head until Angela broke the silence. "You better not want to name any of our future children 'Adalia..?'"

"Well..." he trailed off hopelessly.

I decided to save him. "That's not as sad as wanting my kid to be named after any of you fools. Really?" I said disapprovingly. "And, you Dad? Aren't you a little more grown up than that?"

He blushed. "I wanted to name you Carlie, but Renée wouldn't let me," he admitted.

"Thank God." I thought suggesting to name a kid after yourself was tacky. No need to tell them that I was already considering it.

Shortly after that, everyone left to their hotels. They would be back tomorrow to harass me and my poor dad a little more.

"A baby girl, huh?" My dad looked pretty damn happy for someone who just lost a hundred bucks to that outcome. "Well, I guess I already know how to take care of those."

"You're an expert," I told him. He was a great dad, always helping me when I needed it, blushing but buying tampons and bras for me, threatening any boy that came in a mile radius, getting me my piece of shit truck, giving me advice. And I think I turned out all right, so who better to have by my side when it was my turn to do all that shit? And I was by myself, just like him. He was so great about the Renée thing. He always held me when I cried and tried to explain why she stopped calling.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, Bells?"

"Thanks... For everything. You were the best dad anyone could ever have," I told him sincerely. "And my baby is so lucky to have you as her grandpa."

He blushed and swallowed, obviously trying to hold back his emotions. "Your welcome, Bells."

Suddenly, I felt the baby kick. "Oh, Dad, feel!" I grabbed his hand and put it to my belly.

His eyes went wide with wonder. It was the first time anyone beside me had felt her move. Either no one was around when she was fluttering, or she would just stop movinng whenever someone touched my stomach.

"Wow, Bells. That's really something." He was now truly in danger of crying. "Bells, I love you, you know that right?"

"Of course, Dad. I love you, too." Damn pregnancy hormones. I was crying now, too.

I really did have the best dad ever.

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I knocked on the door. "Come in!" trilled a feminine voice from the inside.

As I entered the room, she gasped. "Oh little Bella Swan, it's about time you came home!" She hugged me and gasped again, feeling the firmness of my tummy. "Oh my."

"Yup. Oh my, indeed."

She looked delighted. "Oh, congratulations, dear!"

"Thank you. She's supposed to be here in October," I told her.

"That's great, sweetie!" She beamed at me. "So I understand you want to teach one of the third grade classes?"

"Yes, I faxed over my resume."

"Yes, yes. I got it right here." She waved the paper in front of my face. "I barely even skimmed it," she admitted. "I knew I wanted to hire you the second you called. You always were my favorite aide back when I was a secretary at the high school."

"Great, but I need to talk to you about a few things." I gestured to my belly. "I'll need to take maternity leave almost immediately after I start. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Honey, no one here wants to teach, and nobody wants to move here to teach. Last year, Mrs. Richards had a heart attack in March. We couldn't find a long time replacement or even a substitute," she told me. "We just gave the other teacher the gym to use for both of the classes. I'm sure she wouldn't mind doing it for another month or two after you have the baby." She paused, taking a breath. "So would you like the job?"

"Yeah, that would be perfect." Oh my God, I had my first teaching job!

"Well great!" She looked relieved. I was surprised. Did everyone hate Forks that much? I couldn't believe she was pretty much begging me to take the job. In Seattle, I'd heard that teaching jobs were extremely hard to get. There were tons of teachers and not many positions, so the competition was cutthroat.

"Thank you! I really appreciate it," I told her sincerely.

"It was my pleasure, hon."

As I walked out to my car, I thought about how perfectly everything was falling into place. It seemed like this was meant to be.

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**What did you think?**

**Sorry there's so much time jumping. I didn't feel like dragging this stuff out over multiple chapters. People are excited to catch up to the prologue, and so am I.**

**Anyway, please, please, PLEASE review. Reviewers get TEASERS! :)**

**Thanks for reading! Next update Monday:)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry, I'm late with the update. My internet was being stupid; it was telling me I had full service, but when I tried to go on Safari, the damn thing said I had no connection. I'm pretty pissed off at technology.**

**Another thing I was pissed about was the teaser. I wasn't happy with it, but I sent it out so my reviewers got something. Thank God they got something before the internet crashed:/**

**Well, it's a super long update, which isn't surprising, considering all the extra time I had :P**

**I'll shut up now. Enjoy:)**

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"So do you have any names yet?" Alice questioned into the phone.

"Maaaaaybe."

She squealed. "Ooo what are they? Are you going to name her after anybody?"

"You'll find out in about two months," I sang into the phone. I knew how much this was going to piss her off.

Silence. Then she started whining. "But I'm your best friend, you have to tell me." I could almost hear her pouting.

"Sorry, A, but it will be worth the wait. Plus, I'm still not entirely sure," I told her.

She sighed heavily. "Okay, B." She did sound really disappointed.

"You'll love whatever I come up with," I reassured her.

"If you say so," she mumbled.

She would love whatever name I came up with. I was going to make a play on hers or Angela's name for the baby's first name, and the middle name would be after the other one. I thought about naming her after my dad, but it just seems weird to me to name a girl after a boy and vice versa. If I ever had another kid, and it was a boy, I'd definitely name him after my dad. He was always there for more me, and I think he deserved to have a grandson named in his honor.

"You _will_ love it." I scrambled for a change of topic. She could wheedle it out of me if she bugged me much longer. "Anyway how's the baby shower plans coming?"

"Oh, Bella, I have so many ideas!" she said excitedly into the phone. "Is the 26th of September at noon good for you?"

"Sure."

"And are you sure you don't have anyone to invite besides me, my mom, Ang, and Sue?"

"Well, I haven't really reconnected with anyone in high school, so no." Out of my graduating class, I'd only seen Jessica Stanley, Eric Yorkie, and Lauren Mallory, and that was only in passing at the gas station or grocery store. I'd gotten plenty judgmental stares from everyone around town, though.

"Are you sure?" she pressed. "This is going to be a tiny baby shower."

"Perfect." I had an idea. "Alice, you shouldn't plan anything definite with the number until I go to school. Maybe I'll meet some teacher friends there."

"That's a great idea, B," Allie told me, sounding a little relieved. Allie liked planning big parties, and my baby shower had a guest list of exactly four people, including herself. I'm sure she was a little frustrated with my lack of friends. Five people couldn't exactly play a lot of the usual baby shower games, at least without being lame.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

"I'll call you back, Allie, someone's at the door."

"Kay, call me." She hung up.

Who the fuck was at the door this early in the morning? It was only-

Ten o'clock.

Shit, I guess it wasn't that early. Lazing around in my bed talking to Alice hadn't done anything to wake me up. I still felt like I was walking on clouds or high. It felt like I had only gotten five hours of sleep, not the twelve hours I'd actually gotten. In my defense, I was finishing up all last minute preparations for my new students, and I was seven months pregnant, and I was always busy shopping for the baby- Alyson, Angelina, whatever.

I waddled to the door, probably looking like shit with my glasses and messy hair, but I literally had no fucks to give.

As I opened the door, the person behind it started talking in a shrill, high pitched voice. "Charlie? I need to talk to you. It's really-" she broke off. "Who the fuck are you?"

I was so not in the mood for this shit. Who does this bitch think she is? "Who the fuck are you?" I asked. My hair was in the way of my bitch glare, so I pushed it out of my face. We both gasped.

_No way._

Why would she be here? After not even contacting me or him for over eight years, why show up now?

I was still gaping at her and her fake ass blonde hair when she started talking, looking at my very pregnant belly. "Bella? Is that you?"

Shocked, I only nodded minutely.

"You're... You're..." she trailed off.

"Yup," I whispered.

"And you're still here." It wasn't a question.

"Yup."

There was a moment of silence, and then-

"WHAT THE FUCK, BELLA? You were supposed to be better than this! You were supposed to do something with your life! You were supposed to get out of this god-forsaken podunk town! Not get shacked up here with a baby you didn't want-"

And I slammed the door in her face.

She pounded the door relentlessly for half an hour before I was sick and tired of it. I called my dad and told him there was a trespasser who wouldn't leave before going out there. He was probably freaking out, since I didn't tell him it was Renée; that would ruin all the fun.

I whipped the door open as she was getting ready to knock. She must have been trying to knock pretty damn hard because the momentum took her forward. I barely had enough time to move out of her way before she face planted into the rug.

I giggled. She looked up at me in shock. What? That shit was pretty funny.

She scrambled up to stand up on the doormat. If she looked sorry, I would have talked to her calmly. However, she still looked pretty pissed. Bitch, I had a surprise for you- so was I.

"Bella, I just don't understand-"

I interrupted her. "No, I don't understand. I don't understand why you think you can just waltz in here and tell me that I fucked up! I haven't seen you for eight years, ever since you and Ang's dad separated so you could whore around, and your ass hasn't even called me for five years! And I still don't understand why you didn't call or write every once in awhile!" I screamed. "You don't get to make decisions for me or criticize me. You are not my mother! You gave that shit up when you left, and who the fuck tells a little girl that she never wanted kids so she was leaving?"

I was out of breath from my rant. And she made me break my no swearing rule I had made since my baby could supposedly hear me now. Now I was super pissed.

I tried to calm myself down. Stress is bad. Stress messes with the baby.

Great. She put me in a situation that could be bad for my baby. If I wasn't pregnant, I would fuck her up.

She was staring at me with a condescending eyebrow. "Are you finished?"

Like I was just an errant child, and she was just waiting for a chance to bitch me out.

_Screw it_. I stepped back and punched her in the face. She held a hand to her face, staring at me as if she couldn't believe I had the nerve to do that.

"Great! Now my fucking hand hurts, you bitch! Now get the fuck out of here before Dad arrests your ass!" I screamed at her as I slammed the door in her face. Again. I sat on the couch in the living room, trying to calm my anger, telling myself not to go out there and drop her ass, ignoring the knocking at the door, waiting for my dad to show up.

Finally, I heard sirens in the distance. I smirked and hoped he'd arrest her. Just for fun.

The sirens came closer and closer before they abruptly stopped. I shuffled up to my front-facing bedroom as fast as I could. I yanked my window open so I could listen to their conversation. I knew I was acting like an adolescent spying on her parents, but I didn't want to go back out there for fear of getting arrested. Or making my dad a crooked cop for turning a blind eye.

"Renee?" He sounded shocked.

"Yes, Charlie. Would you mind explaining to me why our daughter is knocked up and needs an attitude adjustment?" she demanded. "She just slapped me!"

I could hear his booming laugh. "She did? Good for her. And she's my daughter, not yours. Remember when you terminated your rights?"

That was news to me. She did? I couldn't say I was surprised.

"Yes, I thought she would be better off with you. Obviously I was wrong!" she yelled. "I didn't think you would let her fuck up her life! I can't believe you let her live with you! You turned her into a spoiled little bitch!"

"She fucked up her life by getting a scholarship? She fucked up her life by getting pregnant when she had a steady job? And she's a spoiled little bitch because I begged her to come live with me?" He laughed humorlessly.

"Why would you take her independence away like that?" Self-righteous bitch refused to see that she was in the wrong.

"I don't know. Maybe because I love her and I want her and my grandchild to be around. And I guess I'm smothering by offering to watch her baby whenever she wants to go out." He paused. "Now get the fuck off my property."

"Why would I do that? I haven't finished talking to you!" she screeched.

I heard a couple of thumps before she screamed again. I started waddling down there to see what was going on. When I got out there, Dad was holding her on the ground, cuffing her simultaneously.

"You are under arrest for trespassing on private property and for assaulting a uniformed officer. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attourney..." he continued reading her rights.

When he was done, she looked at him with pure hate and spat on him. Oh no she didn't. "You have no right to do this! This is totally fucked! You can't treat me like this!" she yelled. "This is brutality! And bias! You wouldn't do this if I didn't walk out on you years ago."

I started laughing my ass off. "You stupid bitch. He has every right to arrest your for being here when no one wants you to be here. I even told your ass to leave. And if you're stupid enough to hit a cop, then you should be arrested."

She looked at me, enraged. "Wait til my husband hears about this!"

So she didn't even bother inviting me to the wedding this time. That hurt a little.

"Who, number six? Phil? Or did you kick him to the curb already? I just can't keep track," my dad taunted.

Number six? Wow. What the fuck ever.

"Fuck you, Charlie."

"Why are you even here?" I demanded.

"Phil's team is playing the Mariners in Seattle, and I wanted to come see Charlie and see how you were doing. I can see now that this was a mistake," she hissed.

"It was. Why give a shit now when you never have before ?"

"Phil told me I would regret it if I never tried to fix things. I told him I wouldn't, but he told me that I needed closure." She rolled her eyes. "Why would I need closure?"

My dad uncuffed her. I widened my eyes. What the fuck? "She's not worth it."

Not worth what? The trouble of hauling her ass to jail and maybe roughing her up a bit? That sounded pretty awesome to me. "She'll never know her granddaughter or even her daughter, and that's punishment enough."

I shrugged, I still wanted to have her arrested, but whatever.

She stood up and huffed. She stomped off to her car and got in to drive away, but not before she flipped us off.

We watched her drive off, and my stomach growled. "Well, let's go get lunch," I suggested indifferently.

He looked at me incredulously. "Um... okay?"

I knew he was wondering why I wasn't freaking about this, but the truth was I'd written Renée off a long time ago. Her showing up here invited didn't shock me. Neither did the horrible things she said and did.

"C'mon, let's go the diner. I'm starving."

I remembered I was supposed to call Allie back. I fired off a quick text before we left.

_Renee showed up. Bitched me and Dad out. He almost arrested her:) -B_

_Oh, and I punched her in the face:) -B_

_Her response was immediate._

_Call me! NOW! -A_

_Later. Going to lunch with my dad. I think he's more shaken up than I am. Talk to ya later, A. -B_

I locked my phone so I could spend some quality time with my dad.

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I nervously bit my nails. Only five more minutes until I met my class. I triple checked the classroom supplies and made sure all my posters on the walls were straight.

This was it. This was when all my hard work paid off. Busting my ass in high school and college amounted to this. My dream was finally coming true.

I had 'met' the teachers at the staff mixer yesterday. I had known every single person, since the majority of them were still here from when I was in elementary, or there were a few who were a couple years older than me who had come back home after college, too. A couple of younger teachers I really remembered were Kate Marx and Makenna Adams. They were only a year above me when were in school, and they had just started teaching last year. We were sort of friends in high school; I was a huge nerd and had been a junior in all senior level classes, so I had hung out with them a couple times. When they saw me, they congratulated me and told me they were ecstatic about me teaching with them. Maybe I would invite them to my baby shower. Ms. Cope too.

Just then, the five minute warning bell rang. My heart started pounding. I seriously thought it might beat out of my chest.

The aide came knocked an poked her head in. I was surprised to see it was Jessica Stanley. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, send them in."

Fifteen excited little people shuffled in, looking around the room with wonder. I was happy to get a grade that was young enough that the kids still liked school.

"Are you our teacher?" a tiny raven-haired girl asked.

"Yes, I am," I told her. I looked at Jessica. "Thanks, Jess."

She nodded in acknowledgement and left the room. I looked around at my little class and wondered who was who.

"Okay, guys, find the desk that has your name tag on it."

It took them almost five minutes to walk around the tiny classroom and locate their desks. When they were all situated, I started talking. "Okay, I want everyone to stand up and tell me their name and something about them and something fun they did this summer. Any volunteers?"

No one volunteered. They all looked so shy and nervous. I decided I'd go first. "Okay, my name is Miss Swan. My daddy is Chief Swan, the police officer, and I moved in with him."

All the little boys perked up at that. One with blonde hair and the most intense blue eyes I had ever seen piped up, "The one with the big mustache?"

I laughed. "Yup."

"Wow." Everyone in class looked impressed.

"Maybe one time he'll come in and talk to you guys." I bet these kids would have a field day with him.

All of the students looked amazed. "Really?" a little ginger boy with glasses asked.

"Mhm." I'd have to ask him first, but I'm sure he would do it. I still remembered when he came to my class and talked to it. Everyone was in awe of him. I was so proud of my daddy.

"Miss Swan, can I ask you a question?" It was the little girl with black hair.

"Sure thing, sweetie. What's your name?"

"Bree."

"Okay, Bree, ask away."

"Are you going to have a baby?"

I blushed. Wasn't it obvious? Maybe she thought I was just fat. _Really_ fat. "Yes. I'll talk to everyone about that later. Will you tell us something about you Bree?"

Just like that, she became the first kid to play my game. She didn't look too upset though. "My name is Bree Tanner, I like soccer, and I played the piano at a concert this summer."

Everyone went, and I learned that the little blonde-haired blue-eyed boy was named Riley Biers and the little ginger kid was named Liam Thompson.

I thought I had a pretty good class. There was no one that I thought would cause trouble, and everyone seemed happy to be here. I'd see in a few weeks for sure though, after the monotony of school set in.

We played a few more ice-breaking games, then I gave them all a book and we read out loud. Bree read fluidly with almost no mistakes. She seemed like a really smart kid.

I talked to them a little more, telling them about classroom policies and tests and stuff. Before I knew it, the lunch bell rang.

I plopped down in my chair after they left. Holy shit. Going back to doing something after three months off was incredibly difficult. Especially when you're the size of a blimp.

The kids in my class were so cute though, and all the students were so nice. This didn't even feel like work. It felt like I was just hanging out with all these little kids and teaching them stuff. This was going to be a really fun job.

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"Oh my God, look at this!" I gestured to the onesie. It said _Feed me, or nobody sleeps tonight!_ in bright pink and black letters. "Thanks, Jess!"

She smiled. "Check the bottom of the bag."

I did and there was a little pacifier that said _Mute Button_. "Oh my God! Jess, where did you find this stuff?"

"I saw them in Port Angeles at this little novelty shop, and I thought they were perfect for your baby."

"Thank you, Jess."

Her gifts were really cute. Katie had my baby a beautiful fleece jacket, and Makenna had gotten her some little booties that looked like Uggs. Mrs. Brandon had given me a $200 to Babies 'R' Us, which was pretty fucking awesome. She was like the mom I never had, giving me 'girl' advice after my mom walked out.

"My turn," Alice announced. "Here, B." She handed me an envelope.

I opened it. There was a picture of beautiful cherry wood high chair.

"Apparently, it magically transforms into a little table and chair set for when she's older. Jazz said he'll set it up for you when it's time."

I looked at her in shock, this must have cost a fortune. "Allie... This is too much!" I protested.

"Nonsense. And I'll expect an equally kickass gift whenever I pop a kid out."

"Thanks, Alice."

Beaming, she nodded. "I'm glad you liked it."

Angela handed another envelope to me. "Here, this is from me, Ben, and my dad."

I opened it. Another picture. This one was of a matching changing table.

"Ang..?"

"It converts into a normal dresser for whenever she's out of diapers," she explained to me.

"Guys! I would have been perfectly fine using my old set! There was no need to buy all this stuff."

Sue scoffed. "All of those things were so old. They probably weren't even safe. That crib was a death trap."

"Was?"

"This is from me and your dad." She handed me another envelope. She didn't even bother letting me open it before continuing. "It converts into a twin bed."

"You guys! I didn't need these!" I insisted. "But I love them, thank you."

They looked relieved, as if I'd really be that pissed at nicer things for my baby.

Ms. Cope decided to butt in. "And I talked to your dad, and he told me that you didn't have a recliner, so I got mine out of storage for you."

"Wow, guys, I don't know what to say. Where is all this stuff at?"

Allie snickered. "Well, the high chair won't be needed for awhile, so that's just chilling in your dad's study, still boxed. And the boys never actually left, they were upstairs setting up the rest of this stuff in your room."

I got up as fast as I could- which wasn't very fast- and hobbled up the stairs to my room and stood in the doorway.

Jasper was sprawled out on my bed, my Dad was lounging on my new recliner, and Ben was laying on the floor.

"Damn, that was tough," Ben sighed.

"Yeah, who knew baby furniture was so damn difficult to set up?" Jasper lamented.

My room looked totally cramped. The crib was crammed against the foot of my bed- which was smashed against the wall, my dresser was against the opposite wall with the changing table between it and my bed, the recliner was next to my closet door, and my computer desk was nowhere in sight.

"Guys, this looks great! Thank you so, so, so much! But where's my computer desk?"

They all jumped. "Oh hey, Bells. I didn't notice you there. Your desk is in my office; it wouldn't fit in here," he said apologetically.

I waved my hand. "That's totally fine. I really appreciate this, thank you."

"Your welcome," they chorused.

I smiled. "Since you're outed as being here, let's go get you some cake."

We all walked down into the kitchen. I reached for the cake when I felt a sharp pain, and something started dripping down my leg.

"Oomph." I doubled over. "HOLY SHIT, I THINK MY WATER JUST BROKE!"

Everyone started freaking out. Katie, Makenna, and Jessica mumbled something about this being a family thing and left. Ms. Cope was a little more graceful; she grabbed my hand and wished me luck before she made a speedy departure.

_No no no no no!_ She _couldn't_ be coming! It was too early! I still had three weeks left, she needed more time to grow!

"Dad! Take me to the hospital, and can you call Victoria? Ang, will you pack me a bag?" I begged. I hadn't gotten around to it. I had figured I had more time.

My dad already had his phone out. "On it."

"What do you need in it?" Ang asked frantically.

"There's a checklist on top of the duffel on the floor in my closet." I felt another sharp pain. "Holy shit!"

"Um, Bella, I think your contractions are only five, maybe six minutes apart. We need to leave before you have this baby right here," Sue told me. "I guess she really wants to come out."

"Shit!" What if there was something wrong? "Alright, let's go. Allie, will you come with me? And Allie, will you meet me there when you're done?"

Allie nodded. "Sure, hon. Let's go."

"Of course, B! Now go!" Ang shooed me towards the door.

As I was getting in the car, I felt another sharp pain. "God, this hurts like a bitch," I hissed.

My dad got off the phone. "Um, Bells?" My dad looked nervous.

"What, Dad?" I growled out.

"Um, Victoria kind of isn't going to be able to make it," he mumbled.

"WHAT? Holy shit!" I started crying. Alice held my hand. "Dr. Gerandy is going to deliver my baby."

"Uh, no. He's on vacation with his wife."

"Then what's going to happen?" I wailed.

"I don't know, Bells. Victoria was in Seattle visiting a friend. She'll try to get here as soon as possible, but she probably won't make it."

I kept sobbing. This couldn't be happening. Oh my God, this was an absolute nightmare.

Before I knew it, we were at the hospital and I was being ushered in. I got into a gown and they wheeled me to a room. A nurse came in and ran a few tests and hooked me up to some machinery. This was really happening.

A handsome middle-aged doctor came in. "I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen," he introduced himself. "I'm the on-call doctor. I'm sorry, Miss Swan, but the baby is in distress. We have to deliver her by Cesarian right now, so we can't wait for your regular doctor."

I bawled even harder, and Alice held my hand harder. My dad looked scared. "How many times have you done this?" he asked.

"I've been a doctor for twenty-five years, and I've delivered a few babies in my time," he reassured me. "I've done a couple Cesarian sections as well."

My dad continued looking skeptical, but I screamed as another contraction ripped through me. "WHATEVER! JUST GET HER OUT OF HERE!"

Dr. Cullen nodded. "Okay, Isabella, let me get the anesthesiologist in here, and then we can proceed."

A man came in and put something wonderful in my IV. Oh sweet Jesus, relief.

My dad and Allie stayed with me, never looking past the blue curtain shielding my abdomen from view, for which I was extremely grateful. There was no more excruciating pain, but I felt a weird pulling down low. The pulling became more intense, and then came a weak cry.

I tried to shoot up, but my dad held me down. My baby was here. Was she okay?

"Hold on, let the nurses clean her up," my dad told me.

I waited and waited. It was taking _forever_. Finally a beaming nurse walked toward me with a little blue bundle in her arms.

"Here she is," she announced, handing my baby to me. "She's a little small. She weighs six pounds fourteen ounces, and she's nineteen inches long. But her lungs are developed, and she's perfectly healthy."

She was covered in blood and white stuff, but she was perfect. "Hi, baby," I whispered. I was crying again. She was so precious.

My dad, the eternal macho man, was bawling like a little baby. "Bells, she's perfect."

Alice sniffed. God, everyone was crying now, and we were _not_ crying people. "What's her name?"

"Let me get moved to another room so Ang can be there," I told her. Ang would flip the fu- freak out if I told anyone the baby's name before her.

"Sounds like a plan."

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The move to the maternity ward was quick. I thanked Dr. Cullen for delivering my baby. Smiling, he shrugged and said it was no big deal.

Ang and Ben came in, holding my bag and a crap-ton of balloons. At the sight of me holding my baby, Ang burst into tears.

"Oh my God, Bella! She's beautiful!" she blubbered.

"I know." I beamed back at her.

Jasper walked in behind her, holding a giant teddy bear with a pink bow on it. He looked at my baby and smiled. "Congrats, B. She's adorable."

"What's her name?" Alice badgered.

I smiled. Time for the big reveal. "Angelique Alice Swan." It had a nice ring to it.

Angela started crying again. "Oh my God, Bella, I feel so honored," she sniffled.

Alice bawled even harder. "B... Thank you."

My dad interrupted our little moment. "Anjuh-what?" He looked pretty confused.

"An-juh-leek," I pronounced. "Angelique means 'messenger of God.' It's the same meaning as Angela, but it's a French name."

"Angelique," he tested out. He grinned. "I like it. It's unique"

Jasper smiled. "Beautiful name for a beautiful girl."

"Thanks, Jazz." I looked at my dad. "Do you wanna hold her?"

"Um, sure." He took her from me gently. "I haven't held a baby in a long time... Wow, Bells, she looks just like you when you were born."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm pretty sure all newborns look the same, Dad. She looks like an adorable little alien."

"The adorablest."

"I'm pretty sure that's not a word."

"It should be,' he retorted.

Angelique was passed around the room, getting cooed at by her family. When Sue walked in, she burst into tears, too. Why did babies make everyone so emotional?

Eventually, she started crying because she was hungry. I shooed everyone but Alice and Ang out. They'd already seen me topless, so why should I care?

The nurse came in and showed me how to help her latch on. It was pretty fascinating. We watched her eat in silence for awhile.

Angela finally broke the silence. "Does that hurt?"

"A little, but at the same time it's a relief," I answered.

"That's so weird," Allie interjected.

It was weird how they just kept staring my boobs, but I figured it was just cause the whole breastfeeding thing was kind of cool.

When Angelique was done, the nurse came in and burped her. "You have to this to make sure all the gas escapes," she explained. "She's not strong enough to do it on her own."

I listened to every word the nurse said with rapt attention. I really wanted to be a good mom to my Angelique.

Everyone came in and coddled her more. We all laughed when we heard Jasper's baby talking voice. It was ridiculous. He sounded so Texan. He kept calling her darlin' with a southern twang.

When visiting hours were over, everyone said goodbye, promising to be back bright and early in the morning.

I sat with my baby girl for awhile, just watching her sleep. All of a sudden, her eyes blinked open, and she was watching me back.

I didn't know how long we sat there, looking at each other, but we did it until she fell asleep again.

She was so beautiful.

I loved her so much. With every fiber of my being. She was my baby.

A nagging voice at the back of my mind was telling me she wouldn't ever have a daddy, and that sucked because my dad was the best, and I couldn't imagine not having one.

But there was no way to find him. I didn't have a first name. All I had was a drunken physical description. The only thing I could do was scour the streets of Cali and keep an eye out for him. But what if he didn't live there? What if he was vacationing, like me?

I felt so guilty. It was partly my fault Angelique wouldn't have a daddy. I should have gotten his name. Just in case something like this would happen. But my stupid, drunk ass didn't think about these things. I didn't think about the repercussions of having unprotected sex.

I couldn't bring myself to regret it, though. I had loved the baby inside me more than life, and that love had increased exponentially now that she was actually here.

Maybe I would randomly see him one day. The odds of that happening were slim to none, but I couldn't help but hope.

Until then, if it ever even happened, I would enjoy my imperfectly perfect little family.

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**So what did you think?**

**Renee's a real piece of work, isn't she? Unfortunately, that reunion kind of resembled the one between my dad and I. He just criticized my friend I was with and the stuff I was wearing. People are dicks.**

**And Angelique was born:) And Carlisle was the doctor who delivered her baby. That's where Bella had heard the name Cullen before in chapter 1, but she didn't make the connection. She had a lot of things on her mind, the poor thing.**

**And how did I do with the whole pregnancy and birth aspect? I haven't been preggo or had a baby yet. I'm going to finish college and establish my career first. Keeping that in mind, was it realistic? I did some research, so I think my info was accurate, but I'm not sure.**

**Well, thanks for reading. Please review and let me know how I did. Remember, REVIEWERS get TEASERS!**

**Thanks for reading:)**


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